Déjà Vu
by InsaneCookiez
Summary: Joanna Smith is a French honor student on a 2 week trip to France. Everything seems normal. That is, until she begins having déjà vu moments around the city of Paris and a strange yet familiar man claims that she is the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The cold, marble eyes stared straight back into mine as if it were exploring my very soul, deciding whether or not I was deemed worthy enough to gaze up this...mysterious piece, I guess you could say. I looked down at the card marking the sculpture and read aloud, "Joan of Arc. Artist...Henri Chapu. Made in...1872." Nope, nothing intersting here. Just another useless slab of artwork for people to stare at when they're bored. But, I did have to admit, there was something about this sculpture that seemed...I don't know...familiar. Strange. I had never been here in my life, yet here was this odd case of déjà vu. I shrugged slightly. It was probably a false feeling, anyway.

"Joanna!" A familar voice called from what seemed to be the other side of the room. "Come look at this!" I turned toward the voice, clearly finding her across the room from me as I had suspected. Shrugging slightly again, I strode over to meet my friend and see what she wanted me to see so bad. Once I got there, I suddenly regretted it.

"OH GOD." I turned away in disgust at a certain sculpture which was revealing a bit too much for my tastes.

Ashley just laughed. "Isn't he hot?"

"...You're weird."

"I know I am." She smiled.

I couldn't help but chuckle at this. Ashely was one of those "screw what the world thinks" kind of people, so she didn't really care what she was called. In fact, she loved it when people called her weird, nerdy, and strange. It made her feel unique, I guess.

"Hey, Joanna. Today we can choose anywhere we want to eat seeing as how there is a whole line of restaurants down this street. We should totally choose the one with the best view of hot, French guys." She winked at me, playfully. "You never know when you'll meet that special someone."

I gave Ashley an odd look before deciding to give into her demands. "Fine, fine."

Ashely's chestnut eyes lit up with happiness. "I knew you would say yes!" She quickly wrapped her arms around me in a tight, sisterly hug, then released her hold after a few moments. "Lunch starts in a few minutes. So, meet me outside when you're done touring, okay?" And with that, she was gone. But not too far since there was another naked sculpture a few feet away. I laughed to myself. "What am I going to do with that girl?" Shaking my head a little, I decided it was best to move onto the next area. There was still much to see before lunch began.

Before I knew it, the small amount of time had passed and it was now lunch time. I walked out of the museum and met up with Ashley, then we followed the group just down the road towards a restaurant hotspot. I allowed Ashley to choose where we would eat, even though I knew I would regret it. She chose this extremely expensive restaurant that I knew we both couldn't afford, so I had to drag her across the road towards a least expensive one. Ashley was not happy. She was pouting the whole time, even when we sat outside and practically got the same view as across the street. I tried to reassure her that we would see plenty of cute Frenchies from this end, but she wouldn't believe me. She finally shut up when our waiter came to take our order. From the look in her eyes, I could she she was lovestruck. The waiter had brown hair which would have fallen to his shoulders if he hadn't kept it up in a ponytail. He had dazzling green eyes and a thin figure which looked extremely good on him. From what I could guess, he seemed about our age of seventeen. Oh gosh, he was hot. But, still, he wasn't my type. Now, Ashley on the other hand, he was her type defiantly. Then again, everyone was her type.

"Que puis-je vous aujourd'hui?" He asked in his heavy French accent. Ashley was too love stuck to speak, so I spoke for her.

"Nous voulons tous deux de l'eau, s'il vous plaît," I answered back. The waiter nodded and left us for our drinks. I turned back around to see Ashley still gawking at the waiter. "Ashley...Ashley...Ashley..." I poked her head simultaneously each time I said Ashley. "EARTH TO ASHLEY!"

She looked at me startled. "What?"

"I think you're scaring our waiter."

She shot me a quick scowl. "Are not."

I laughed a little. "I think he noticed you making googly eyes at him."

Ashley looked frantic. "H-He did! CRAP."

I laughed a little harder this time. "Don't worry. There are more guys out there."

"But they're probably not as hot as that one!"

This time I couldn't think of a good come back. I was laughing too hard to come up with another one.

"Don't laugh at me!"

"I-I'm sorry! B-But you're too funny sometimes!"

"I don't know whether or not to take that as an insult or a compliment."

Finally calming down, I replied, "Just take it as a compliment."

Ashley stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. I will."

We laughed for a little bit until our waiter came back with our waters. That's when I realized that we had yet to look at the menu. I sent the waiter away for a few minutes-much to Ashley's dismay- and flipped through the menu. I smirked when I found a dish that Ashley would know all too well. "Hey, Ashley. Let's get some escargot."

"NO."

I snicked, then went back to flipping through the menu. Ashley did the same as I. It was a moment before either of us spoke and, of course, Ashley was the first to speak. "Let's get some crepes."

"...Isn't that a breakfast food?"

"Who ever said you can't have breakfast for lunch?"

"...Touche."

"Crepes it is then!" She fist-pumped the air in triumph. While Ashley was cheering for joy over her victory lunch, I turned to gaze at the street. So many people were out for lunch and most were pretty much couples. A sudden feeling of lonliness washed over me. For some reason, it felt as if I was missing someone. Someone very important to me. But, I didn't have a boyfriend or anyone like that, so why was I so lonely? My deep blue eyes searched for an answer along the streets of France, but nothing seemed to be giving me any clue. All I had was that strange feeling of déjà vu again. I was just about to turn my attention back to Ashley, when I noticed a strange man. He had short, blonde hair that fell to his shoulders in a wavy fashion and a light stubble across his chin. His eyes were a deep, ocean blue which reminded me of my own. I couldn't tear myself away from him for a moment until a hand slapped itself on my shoulder and shook me violently.

"JOANNA!"

I turned to look at Ashley with a slightly confused expression upon my face. "What is it?"

"You zoned out!"

"Oh."

"OH! Is that all you can say!" She stood up, staring at me with an intense worried expression pastered on her face. "There's something wrong! I just know it!"

"There's nothing wrong, Ashley. I just saw a cute guy is all."

Ashley gave me and odd look. "You were staring at a...guy?"

I nodded and she smirked. "I knew you would like it here! This is the perfect guy-check-out-place, am I right?"

I just nodded again even though I had picked this restaurant in the first place. It was best to leave it just as that in these cases, because Ashley was always right no matter what-she made sure of it too! I turned my head to see if the man was still standing there, but he wasn't. My lips curved into a small frown. There was something about him that was all too familiar. I just didn't know what. Had I met him before? It was possible, but I doubted it. Maybe I was just going insane.

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><p>Starting a new story.~ I dunno. I was just really inspired to do this for some reason. I guess I'm just a huge FrancexJoan of Arc fan. :3 Well, please review and tell me what you think!<p>

Translations:

Que puis-je vous aujourd'hui? - What can I get you today?

Nous voulons tous deux de l'eau, s'il vous plaît. - We both want water, please.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When the waiter finally decided to show his face again, I ordered for the both of us seeing as how Ashley was still too busy gawking at him. It wasn't too long until he returned with our fresh crepes in hand. He placed the plates in front of us and asked if we were alright. I said yes and sent him away. Ashley just pouted and looked down at her plate. Her pout suddenly faded into a suprised expression. My eyebrow rose in response to her strange behaviour. I was a bit confused as to why she had gotten quiet, but looked down at my own plate and realized the answer to my question. I found myself mute also as I stared at this beautiful display of the food. The crepes were folded neatly into one fourth of the original size, drizzled with strawberry sauce. There were two strawberries off to the side, balancing out the whole display of the food while the red juices from the interior of the crepes were oozing out, still giving an amazing appeal. I couldn't eat this; there was no way I would. This was far too beautiful for me to eat. I looked up at Ashley and noticed her expression resembled mine. We were both too stunned at the crepes to even take one small bite. The silence lasted for a few more moments until Ashley finally declared, "I WILL EAT THIS!"

I looked up at her with a horrified glance. "You're going to destroy art!"

"I don't care! I paid for it, so I'm going eat it!" She picked up her fork and stabbed one of the crepes, mercilessly. The crepe dripped crimson as Ashley picked it up, studdied it, then took a curious bite from the corner. She chewed a little, swallowed, and was quiet for another moment. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever had."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you should try some too!" She pointed towards my plate. "It's delicious! You're going to miss out if you just let it sit there!"

"Okay.." I took my fork in hand and slowly brought it towards one of the crepes. My hand hesitated a few centimeters from my target, but I forced it to continue moving. Using the side of my fork, I cut off a small slice of the crepe, stabbed it, and brought it to my lips.

"Oh my God!" Ashley yelled.

I dropped my fork in alarm and got up, staring at her worriedly. "What's wrong!"

Ashley pointed across the road. "HIM! Oh my God! He's so hot!"

I hung my head in shame. It was a guy, of course. I should have known better than to think that something was actually wrong. Looking around, I noticed that we had aquired quite a few stares in the past few seconds. My face went red with embarrassment and I quickly sat down. "Ashley, try not to yell so loud next time. Okay?"

"But he's so hot!" She retorted. "Just look at him!"

She took my head and forcefully turned it in the direction she was pointing. "I don't see what's so-" I stopped mid-sentence. My eyes went wide as I stared across the way at a familiar blonde I had seen not too long ago. It was him again. Apparently realizing that he was being stared at, the older man turned around to look at his onlooker which happened to be me. Our gazes met and his eyes grew as wide as mine. Did he recognize me? I saw the man break his mutual staring contest with me, get up, and litterally run across the road towards this restaurant. He was almost hit by a red minivan, but the driver stopped a centimeter before that happened. The driver wasn't very happy about the man's stupid attempt at crossing the road without looking both ways and said a few choice words in French. Surprisingly, the man just ignored him and ran straight for us. My mouth fell open as I watched him almost get hit by a second car. This driver blew his horn, shot the bird, and cussed at him in French. She was probably having a bad day. I turned to look at Ashley and she did the same to me. We shared a mutual gaze of horror, then turned back to watch the rest of the show seeing if this idiot was going to dive out into traffic again. Thankfully, he didn't try a second suicide attempt, instead, he sped over to the outdoor seating for this restaurant, hopped the three-foot fence in one leap somehow, and sprinted over to our table. Obviously he was out of breath, which left us with a long, awkward silence. Neither I nor Ashley said anything. After a few moments, the man had finally caught his breath and looked up at me with a soft yet sad expression on his face. "Jeanne. Est-ce vous?" He asked, looking as if he might begin crying any moment now.

I froze for a moment, keeping silent until I could process what was going on. "Je ne suis pas elle. Désolé..." The man looked hurt by my comment and frowned slightly.

"You are a foreigner, are you not? I can tell by your accent," He sighed. "I am sorry, I mistook you for someone else."

"It's alright," I forced a smile for his sake. The poor guy looked devastated, so I felt extremely bad for him. Whoever he thought I was must have been someone extremely important for him, I assumed.

"But, it still is strange. You look so much like my Jeanne..."

"Well, I can assure you I'm not her. First of all, my name isn't Jeanne. It's actually Joanna," I stated. When he heard my name, his face lit up.

"You're name is so similar to Jeanne's as well..." He took my hand and knelt on one knee. That's when I began wondering whether or not he was going to propose marriage. From the slight squeak across the table, I could tell Ashley was thinking the same. I could feel my face slowly heat up as his alluring, blue eyes stared straight back into mine. People were staring at us, I could tell, but I couldn't break the gaze for any moment. He was captivating me. Or maybe I had been previously captivated by him, who knows?

When he spoke, his voice was soft yet desperate, "Please. I truly believe you are Jeanne. If you stay with me for one day, I am sure that you will remember who you are." He hesitated a small moment before continuing, "If I cannot prove that you are Jeanne, then I will leave you alone." I looked to Ashley for help, but I could tell she was too busy trying to comprehend what was going on as well. My gaze shifted back to the man who was still looking at me intensly. To be honest, I didn't know what to do. It was true that I had been having déjà vu moments all over Paris today and this strange man did seem familiar to me, but there was no way I could go along with him. He was a complete stranger who could have alterior motives besides trying to find his lover. As I stared up at him, I couldn't find it in my heart to say no. There was something about him I knew, but we had never met before. The only way I would find the answers is if I went with him.

"Fine. I'll go with you," I said, surprisingly myself more than Ashley who was even more confused about the situation than I. The man smiled, clenched my hand tighter, and helped me up. I turned to Ashley to explain, but she was already waving.

"Don't worry, Joanna. I'll cover for you." She smiled, still waving her hand wildly at us. "Be good you two!" My cheeks turned pink at that last comment. How rude! Of course I was going to be good and if this guy tried anything I was going to kick his ass. Not a lady-like thing to think, but sometimes you needed to be violent just to survive this cruel world of ours.

We began our walk together down the street hand in hand like a true couple. A sudden thought stuck me. This guy knew my name, but I had no clue what he was called. "By the way, what's your name?" I asked.

He looked down at me with a soft smile and replied, "My name is Francis." I couldn't put my finger on it, but that name was awfully familiar. Maybe it was from the Francis in the third grade? No, somewhere else. Maybe I did know this man. If we were conntected somehow, I didn't know in what ways. I just hoped he would explain it as the day progressed.

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><p>Pfft. Wow. I can't believe had enough brain power to write a chapter today. Maybe I should make a chapter a day seeing as how I can do it. I'll try, but I won't make any promises seeing as how I can get lazy sometimeswriter's block. I'm also gonna try to strive for longer chapters...if I can. XD

Anyways, thank you all for your reviews and story watches! Honestly, I didn't think it would get this popular and so fast too! I can't thank you all enough! Be on the look out for chapter 3 soon, because I plan to continue this for a while.

Translations:

Est-ce vous? - Is this you?

Je ne suis pas elle. Désolé... - I am not her. Sorry...

***Special thanks to maple lover for helping me realize that I need to research a little more about French instead of using google translator. XD**


	3. Chapter 3

Déjà Vu - Chapter 3

Walking the streets hand in hand with this stranger made everything all the more awkward. I felt like yanking my hand away from his in an instant, but quickly erased that thought from my mind. No, I couldn't do that. It would hurt Francis too much. Wait, why was I even caring about him? From what I knew, he was just a local Frenchman who I had met about thirty minutes ago. There no possible way that I could care this much about how a complete stranger feels. But, for some odd reason, I did care. It felt as if something inside me was screaming out against my thoughts of coldness. No matter how much I try to resist this feeling, I couldn't.

The silence between us was unbearable, to say the least. I was beginning to wonder whether or not it would be broken anytime soon. If not soon, then I might go crazy. And nobody liked a crazy Joanna. As if on cue, a noise did happen to break the silence between us. But, it wasn't the normal coughing, mumbles, or anything like that. No, it was far worse and more embarrassing than everything combined. My stomach growled; it wasn't one of those small rumbles that you dismiss, no, it was a full out growl that everyone passing the two of us could easily hear. My face flushed bright red and I quickly looked down, trying to hide my embarrassment, as the stares weighed heavily upon me. My thoughts returned to the forgotten lunch at the restaurant I had abandoned not too long ago. I really should have eaten something before deciding to go along with this man; it would have saved me from the humiliation I was experiencing at that time.

I heard a light chuckle beside me and looked up a brief moment to catch Francis' soft gaze. He smiled kindly before saying, "How about we go get something to eat? I know this wonderful restaurant that you would just love!" Francis' eagerness caught me slightly off guard as his hand gripped mine tighter and he turned to redirect us towards an unknown eatery. The entire trip there, everything remained quiet. I was beginning to become anxious again; the awkwardness of his hand in mine returning to my thoughts. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't take my hand away for one moment. To be honest, I actually kind of liked it.. My eyes grew wide and cheeks turned a bright shade of red. No, I shouldn't be thinking of that. This is some man I have just met right off the streets of France, I could not possibly have any feelings for him!

When Francis suddenly stopped, I snapped out of my thoughts, wondering as to why he halted. That's when I realized that we had arrived at our destination. I lifted my head upwards to read the huge sign above the restaurant before I was led inside. Printed in golden letters was the title 1728. I remembered that name from somewhere. It was in French class from which I heard the title. My eyes grew wide a second time in realization. 1728..that was a famous restaurant in France! Not only was it famous, but pretty expensive too! My thoughts immediatly went to my wallet and the current amount it held. Not enough to afford this place, I was sure of it.

My jaw dropped when we entered the building. Yes it was beautiful with its decor and whatnot, but that wasn't what was bothering me at the moment. The line. The freaking long line. There must have been at least a hundred people standing in it! Somehow they had made a snake-like fashion in the front of the restaurant, allowing so many to stand there. I was just about to ask Francis if we could go somewhere else, but, to my surprise, he made a right and went along the small path employees took to get from the back to the front door. Nobody seemed to mind as he did this. Well, I didn't hear anybody yell at us or anything, but they might have been glaring daggers at me and him as we walked in. I wanted to ask how and why he did that, but decided to keep the question to myself. I could ask it at the table when the time came.

A small waitress with long, light brown hair tied back into a braid and peach-colored skin approached us. Her kind, green eyes were hidden behind black, oval-shaped glasses and she wore the normal uniform everyone was wearing in this restaurant; the uniform consisted of a nice, white dress shirt, a black vest with matching tie, black dress pants, and black shoes. Wow, whoever created the uniform must sure like the color black.

At first when the woman approached us, I was scared she was going to kick us out or something. But, luckily, she wasn't going to do any of the sort. Surprisingly, she seated us at a table for two off to the side of a room filled with people at other tables. Francis, like a gentleman, pulled my chair out for me and I quietly thanked him before sitting down. The few seconds he took to sit in his own seat, I gazed around to take in my surroundings. The walls were crafted carefully out of what seemed to be wood, showing as much detail as possible. The floors weren't much different being that they were also made out of France's finest limber, it seemed. The details on the floor were diamond-shapped, filled in with the same wood right to left which gave it an elegant appeal. All across the room were pieces of artwork, scupltures, even a fire place. Every detail was breath-taking, especially the chandelier hanging above the center, illuminating the entirety of the room. My gaze shifted towards our table to see what lie before me. The table was just as elegant as the rest of the room with its pure white tablecloth lying flat upon it's wooden top. Two wine glasses-not going to use those anytime soon-were arranged on either side of the table and small dishes along with white cloth napkins containing the utensils were also laid accordingly. All in all, this place was stunningly beautiful.

That's when it hit me. I can't afford all this; there was no way I could on a student's allowance. I turned my head and looked at Francis for a brief moment before saying, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I have enough money to afford all this."

He looked a little confused by this, but just smiled and chuckled slightly before replying, "Do not worry. I will pay the bill."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Francis spoke before I could. "It is the least I owe you for coming along with me."

"But still..."

"It is alright, [1]mon cher. The bill is no problem, I assure you."

My cheeks turned slightly pink at the French he used. Why was he saying that of all things! We hardly know one another! I snapped back to reality when the waitress returned and asked what we would be drinking tonight. I told her water while Francis said wine. I was a bit confused by this, but casually ignored it. As soon as the waitress left to retrieve our drinks, Francis faced me with that soft smile of his which awoke the butterflies within my stomach. I could feel heat upon my cheeks as I stared back into his beautiful, blue orbs. My heart beat increased as this moment dragged on. I tried willing my heart to slow, but it continued its rapid pounding against my chest.

Francis was the first to speak and break the long silence between us both. "You are a foreigner, correct?"

I nodded quickly and replied with a swift, "Yeah."

His expression showed slight curiousity as he continued, "What country are you from?"

"America."

That's when his expression turned to that of disgust. Appararently, this man didn't seem to like America all that much. I was about to change the subject to something else when our waitress returned with our drinks. Thank goodness for that, or I think that this conversation would have made a wrong turn. It was then that I realized Francis was checking out the poor waitress girl. What the hell? I thought he said he was looking for his lost lover, yet here he was making googily eyes at this random woman. A sudden feeling of jealousy washed over me for some unknown reason. Why did I hate Francis gawking over this girl? We've just met today, so I'm nothing to him and he should be nothing to me also. Why is this so confusing?

Before I knew what I was doing, I stood up and slammed my hands on the table, startling Francis, the waitress, and everyone currently in the room. I was just about to speak when I noticed how quiet it was and all eyes were upon me. My face turned bright red and I quickly sat down, not wanting to embarrass myself further. The waitress quickly left our table and everyone went back to their normal conversations a few seconds after my outburst. I picked up the menu and hid my face with it, not wanting to look Francis in the eye; I was too embarrassed to do so.

"Mon cher, are you alright?" He asked in a slightly worried tone.

I hesitated for a moment, then replied with a quick, "Yes."

Apparently not impressed with my answer, Francis grabbed the menu I was holding and pulled it down so he could see my face once again. "Mon cher! Your face is red!"

My face grew even redder and I slung the menu up once again, not daring to speak.

"Are you alright?"

"..." I could hear him sigh sadly as I didn't respond to his question. This led to another awkward silence. Of course, Francis was the first to break it.

"Seems you need an explanation." He sighed again before continuing, "Come to my house after this and I will explain everything."

I slung the menu down and got up again, this time yelling, "W-Why would I do that!" The whole room's stares were upon me yet again and I quickly sat, more embarrassed than before.

Francis had a sympathetic look towards me before he responded, "If you want to know the whole story, then I need to tell you there. I do not want to say anything in a public place."

"...You won't try anything, right?"

Francis looked a little displeased, but nodded his head. "I will not try anything. I promise."

"Alright..." I couldn't believe what I had just said. My mind was saying no, but my lips said yes. Francis' eyes lit up and he smiled a larger smile than before. I couldn't but smile also; it was contagious.

Dear God, what have I just gotten myself into?

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><p>[1] Mon cher - My dear<p>

Been a while, hasn't it? Hehehe... Really, the irony in my last author's note is killer. Because, after I wrote chapter 2, I got a major case of writer's block when I tried writing the next day...and it just went from there. I've been busy, writer's block, more busy, and even more writer's block. So, yeah, you fanfiction writers know how it goes. Well, I hope you like chapter 3! I worked extra hard on it! Anywho, the next chapter should be up whenever. You know my schedule. I'm all over the place. Haha. Well, enjoy.~


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